Comparative drug effects: the case of GERD therapies.

The results of clinical trials and approved Food and Drug Administration Drug Applications inform decision makers that a drug was effective in its labeled indications without causing unacceptable side effects. But purchasers for large medical organizations and members of health insurer or managed care organizations need relative effectiveness data to enable them to select the product from among the four, six, or ten competing alternative drug products available in that family. Retrospective studies are capable of providing this data after about a year of use by utilizing a database containing a large number of patients. An alternative means of determining this was explored using a new technique from a nationwide patient satisfaction study. Using GERD as an example, the authors were able to determine differences in patient satisfaction between proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), H(2) antagonists, and antacids, and even within the PPI category, down to individual products. The piloted method is rapid and inexpensive and can be an alternative for clinicians developing disease management protocols for specific conditions.